Rebecca Rimmer: Year Four
by princess-katie
Summary: Tom Clarkson's younger sister returns for her 4th year of teaching at Waterloo Road, this time finally the wife of the love of her life, headmaster turned plain teacher, Jack Rimmer. With a teenage foster daughter and newborn baby, new challenges await.
1. Happiness

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: This is the fourth in a series, and is set in series 4 of Waterloo Road. If you haven't read the others, basically Tom Clarkson's younger sister teaches History at WR and started in series 1. She got together with Jack Rimmer, who is now back at WR as a history teacher, and they have a baby. They also took in Maxine Barlow.**

Chapter One

Rebecca Clarkson - who would soon be calling herself by a very different surname - had had many titles - daughter, sister, friend, girlfriend, godmother, student, teacher, even foster mother, fiance, and now mother. And exasperated, desperate mother at that.

The last of these was due to the baby boy sitting in her arms at that very moment. It was the last week of August, and Becky sighed as her son cried loudly - a sound she'd become only too used to over the past few months.

James Thomas Rimmer had been born almost 3 months ago, and after his chaotic entry to the world, his mother was only glad that his father had been at home with her for the past few months to help her with the baby.

Both Becky, and Jack Rimmer were teachers at Waterloo Road. Becky had started there 3 years ago after her elder brother - an english teacher there - had told her of the opening.

She'd immediately been attracted to the handsome headmaster, Jack Rimmer, and their relationship had bloomed from there on. It took them until the end of that school year to decide to move in together, and by Christmas they were engaged.

They'd had their ups and downs - minor ones included their disagreement over taking in delinqent teenager Maxine Barlow. Yet they'd still taken her in, and she'd turned herself around, and they were both incredibly proud of her.

And their most serious down had been after Izzie Redpath's death. Izzie had been Becky's friend for almost 15 year when she was stabbed, and Jack blamed himself. His downward spiral into depression ended with him sleeping with someone else, and his relationship with Becky ending.

Shortly after, she discovered she was pregnant, and it was clear to everyone that they were still in love with each other as Jack did absolutely everything he could to help her through the pregnancy.

And then just under three months ago, Beky had been due to leave for maternity leave and Jack had showed up at the school. He'd confessed how he'd never stopped loving her and proposed again, and she had accepted.

Only for the whole day to be thrown into chaos when a fire broke out, and Becky's waters broke 4 weeks earlier than they should have done, eventually bringing James into the world.

But now, after everything they'd been through, they were here and they were together.

Jack had accepted a position as a history teacher at Waterloo Road for the new school year - which would start next week - and when Becky decided she didn't need a big wedding, they soon scheduled themselves for the last week in August.

Their wedding was now in 2 days, and Becky didn't think there had ever been a happier time in her life.

Now, if only the baby would stop crying.

" Shhh James," she mumbled as she tried to rock him to sleep, " please, shhhh. It's ok - look, it's ok, Mummy's here. "

" Maybe he wants his Daddy. "

Becky looked to the doorway to see Jack leaning up against it. " Oh, you're home," she said, " sorry honey, didn't hear you come in with all the noise this little one's making. Did she get everything she wanted? "

Jack nodded, thinking of the trip he had just taken Maxine on to buy her new school supplies, " And more besides. I'll never understand why it's neccessary for people like you to have so many shoes. "

" "People like me", meaning " women"? " she asked, rolling her eyes as she turned her attention back to James.

" Here, give him here," Jack said, sitting down beside her on the sofa.

Becky nodded, and Jack took their son from his arms. Once he had told of him, he put on a tone of voice that he sincerely hoped his students would never find out about, and he looked at the little boy, " Now then, Mister, what's up with you? "

He rocked James in his arms in an attempt to stop the crying, " Yeah, come on little man, Daddy's here now, and me and Mummy want you to stop crying. "

It took him only a minute more of the rocking, before James had started to drift off to sleep.

" That was like magic," Becky said, eyes slightly wide with awe.

Jack chuckled and leaned back against the sofa, holding the sleeping baby to him, " I told you he just wanted his Daddy. " On seeing the fed up look on Becky's face, he added, " Hey, don't be too hard on yourself - you're an amazing mother - you've been giving James absolutely everything you've got since he was born, but he's hard work. And I _know _you barely got any sleep last night. "

Becky nodded, " He was just so fussy last night. "

Jack smiled a little, " He's alright now. And we've got big things to look forward to. "

Becky grinned happily and she shifted closer to Jack, sliding down a little so she could rest her head against his shoulders. She reached out with one finger to stroke James' tiny arm and smiled at the warmth of Jack against her.

" I can't wait to be your wife, you know," she said.

" Rebecca Rimmer," Jack said, as though he was testing it out, " it's about bloody time, isn't it? "

" Language," Becky chided gently, " but yes, it is. "

" I hope Ian isn't _too _mad at us? " Jack chuckled, thinking about his soon to be brother in law.

Becky smiled too. Her older brother was 9 years older than her - which also happened to be the age gap between she and Jack - and lived with his wife and two daughters in Australia. Since they were having a small wedding, and they'd not given everyone much notice, Ian and his family wouldn't be able to come over for the wedding.

" He wasn't too mad," Becky agreed, " and when he rang yesterday, he was talking about us going out to see him for Christmas, maybe. And Tom too. "

Becky rarely saw her brother Ian, but spoke to him on her laptop. The last time she'd actually seen him was a few years ago, but he'd been very insistant that they should all see each other more, and that he wanted to meet his brother in law and nephew, as well as see his sister and brother too.

On the other hand, Becky was extremely close to her brother Tom, who was four years older than her. There'd never been a moment when Tom wasn't there for her, and she knew he would be exactly the same with James. Tom currently lived with his new girlfriend Davina, and his step-daughter Chlo.

Chlo was the same age as Maxine, and married - or was it divorced by now, but still together - to Becky's godson, Donte. Her sister Mika, Tom's other step-daughter, was now at university in Newcastle, with her boyfriend, Brett.

" That sound nice," Jack said, " probably about time I met your brother - you've met all of my family, after all. "

They sat together in comfortable silence for a few minutes, Becky threatening to fall asleep herself, and she smiled when she felt Jack kiss the top of her head.

" D'you think it's going to be weird, just being a teacher? " Becky mumbled, cuddling up against him.

" Maybe a little," Jack said.

" Do you wish you were still headmaster? " she pushed.

Jack chuckled, " I'm perfectly happy not to be at this moment in time. You know what that job was like - the amount of time I had to put in, the hours I had to stay behind extra, or go in early. It was a lot of pressure. I loved the job, and I'd love to be a head again one day, but right now, when we've got our first baby, I want to be there as much as possible. "

Becky nodded, glad that Jack knew exactly what he wanted. It was also the reason she'd decided not to resume the role of Head of Pastoral Care when she returned after maternity leave - she knew how much extra paperwork, reports and just general work were involved and she wanted to gvie James everything she could.

" There could be advantages to us both being regular history teachers," she mumbled, still stroking James' tiny arm lightly with her fingertips.

Jack scoffed, " Meaning I can do your marking? "

" That's not exactly what I was thinking," Becky said, shaking her head, " but since you suggested it, I might have to take you up on it. "

Jack rolled his eyes and leaned down to kiss her forehead again.

Becky sighed, " It's going to be odd not going back to school next week," she said.

Jack frowned as he thought about it, " Becks, you're going in on the first day of term ... aren't you? "

" Yeah, but not properly," she said, " I mean, I'm not going back in all the time. Not properly. "

Rachel had agreed a few day with Becky that she could come back into the school before her maternity leave as "keeping in touch days" and one of these was the first day of term.

" If I were you, I'd enjoy the extra time off work," Jack chuckled.

Becky nodded - James was hard work, but since his birth, she'd become incredibley used to motherhood, and she knew she loved just being a mum, and being herself. Another couple of months to bond with her son would be great, even if it would feel odd not to be at school.

" At least I'll be going back as Mrs Rimmer," Becky grinned, " I can't wait until everyone has to call me it all the time. "

Jack chuckled and rewarded her with another little kiss, " Me too. "

Before she could reply, the letterbox sounded loudly, and Becky groaned.

" You know, I'm sick of this," she said, forcing herelf to get up of the sofa, " stupid postman never _ever _comes on time. " She went through to the hallway and picked up a pile of letter, before bringing them back into the living room with her.

Tossing them onto the coffee table one by one, she tried to figure out which ones she needed and which she didn't. She tossed down bit of junk mail, what looked like a bank statement, a couple of bills, and was left holding a letter with a few stamps she didn't recognise, and handwriting that was vaguely familiar.

It was hand adressed to "Miss and Mr ", and with a curious smile, Becky started to open it.

" What have you got, love? " Jack asked, briefly looking up from his baby boy - a very significant thing, since he was absolutely smitten with his baby, and found it very hard to take his eyes and attention off him sometimes.

She shrugged, holding the letter up for him to see, and he looked appropriately curious.

Becky pulled open the letter, and she was suprised when she saw the return adress written in the corner.

In tall slanted handwriting which she couldn't quite place, was the adress of a place she didn't recognise - and at the bottom of it, the name "Andrew Treneman. "

Becky stared.

Andrew Treneman had been the deputy head when Beky first joined Waterloo Road, and after a while, he became a friend. He had an attraction to the then-head of pastoral are, Kim Campbell, and Becky, Jack and everyone else had constantly speculated about what was going on.

The four of them had become friends, and Becky had been quite close to Kim - a woman who was slightly older than her, but very easy to get along with. And Andrew had become quite protective and looked out for her.

When the two of them went off to Rwanda to work with children there - Andrew being made headmaster of a school he had worked at some years previously - Becky had made them promise to stay in touch with her. She'd been engaged by the time they left, and with their wedding planned for Christmas, she'd made them promise to come back for the wedding.

Of course, that wedding had never gone ahead, and she hadn't heard a thing from Kim and Andrew. They hadn't known their address in Rwanda at the time of moving, and she'd simply given Andrew their address and email address, and made him promise to be in touch soon, but he never had.

" It's from Rwanda," Becky said, slowly sitting down on the sofa.

" _What? _But who do ... how ... _what? "_

Becky smiled a little as she re-read the name and return address, " It's from Andrew Treneman," she said.

Jack processed this for a moment and then nodded, " Well, it's been just over a year since he and Kim moved to Rwanda - it's about time they kept their promise to keep in touch, isn't it? "

" Suppose it is," Becky said, starting to smile a bit more - Kim and Andrew had been good friends, and she'd lost their contact at a time when she was losing other things in her life - it had been shortly after Izzie's death, and just after she was starting to piece herself together after Lorna's death - and it felt great to have contact with them once again.

She felt Jack's eyes on her as she started to read the letter to herself, noting the date - it had been written little over a month ago.

_Rebecca and Jack,_

_Firstly, I'm sorry that we haven't been in touch sooner - I know Kim and I promised to stay in touch, and it seems we failed miserably. There isn't much of an excuse really - well, there is an excuse, but it's probably mainly stupidity on my part. _

_As you know, I had your email address and home address (come to think of it, I hope you're still living in the same house, because otherwise this whole exercise is pointless.) Internet connection here in Rwanda is very few and far between, and means travelling quite a way off - I'm afraid it's difficult to find time to get to an internet cafe. And as soon as I got internet access, I sent countless emails to you both and was upset to recieve no response after months and months to any of my emails. I had also lost your home address, and could not send a letter. _

_Kim - always the voice of reason - eventually got very mad at the lack of response to our numerous emails and demanded that I show her your email address, and it turned out I'd been sending emails to the wrong emails address. We argued over whether the lines between "Rebecca" and "Clarkson" were underscores or hyphens, and once we finally agreed, the internet service was down for a long time. _

_A few days ago, we were clearing up and found your address. _

_I realise I am an idiot for being so careless with your address, and I know Jack is probably rolling his eyes at me as he read this and cursing me under his breath, but hopefully you'll both forgive me and write back soon. _

_I hope you're both well, and Maxine, Tom, Mika and Chlo, and everyone at Waterloo Road. Kim and I miss Waterloo road greatly but love the work we do out here. Still, it's hard not to think about the old days, and how the four of us would sit around trying to fight the latest closure plans for Waterloo Road. _

_I assume that by being idiots and losing all contact details for you, Kim and I have missed your wedding (it should have been at Christmas, shouldn't it, and that was months and months ago) so congratulations. We weren't exactly sure though if you had gotten married after all, and it you'd have kept your own name, Becky, which is why you're addressed as "R. Clarkson" on the envelope. "_

The letter went on to describe the work Kim and Andrew were doing in Rwanda and how rewarding they were finding it all, and how they hoped Jack and Becky were well, and how they imagined Jack and Becky were happy together still, Jack running the school, and Becky not far behind. Andrew ended the letter by urging them to write back.

Once Jack had also read the letter, he put it down and smiled a little, " I can't believe they've got in touch - I always liked Kim. Andrew too, to a lesser extent of couse. Kim though, Kim was brilliant. So many things they don't know," he said, shaking his head.

Becky nodded, shuffling up to him and resting her head on his shoulder again, " Just how much has changed in a year, I guess. Since they were here, we split up, had a baby and got engaged, and are getting married in two days. "

" Amen to that," Jack grinned, looking down at the sparkling engagement ring on her finger.

" I should write back," Becky mumbled, " tell them all about James, me and you, your new job ... the fact that we _will _actually be married by the time they get the letter. "

Jack nodded, and he sighed happily.

" Becky? " he asked.

She raised her eyebrow in question as she lifted her head from his shoulder to look up at him, and she squealed in delight as he gently pressed his lips against hers.


	2. Wedding

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter Two

It was Wednesday 29th August, and today was the day Rebecca Clarkson would become Rebecca Rimmer. She felt like it was certainly about time, and as she sat down in the living room of her home, she felt like this was absolutely right.

They'd decided to have a small wedding, because all they needed were each other, not a big fancy wedding.

It was to be held at the local registry office, and Becky had decided that despite having a mall wedding, she still wanted her beloved brother to give her away, and she still wanted Maxine as a bridesmaid.

The wedding guests had started out as immediate family - Tom, of course, giving Becky away, then Davina was invited as Tom's girlfriend. Chlo and Mika were of course invited, as Becky's step-nieces, and Donte, as Becky's godson. They'd also invited Brett since it was only fair Mika got a guest, since both Tom and Chlo would have someone.

From Jack's family, his parents, brother and two sisters were coming.

They'd chosen not to invite anyone from the school - after all, if they'd invited one person, they'd have had to start inviting everyone.

Jack's mother and father were both retired, and while his father was a nice enough man, he kept himself to himself and rarely participated in conversation. His mother however, was very fond of Becky, and always fussed over her whenever they met.

Jack wasn't that close to some of the rest of his family but loved them nonetheless. He was closest to his brother, who was two years older than him, and worked as a lawyer, as did his wife. They had two daughters, aged 4 and 8. Becky had always quite liked John and Alice Rimmer.

His younger sister was four years younger, Becky found her to be boring, dull and tedious. Becky tried to avoid getting into conversations with her and was not suprised that his sister - Gemma - was single.

His other younger sister was Becky's age - nine years younger than Jack - and was quite a different matter. She was loud, arrogant and self absorbed, and Becky was often surprised that Jennifer Rimmer could possibly be related to Jack.

Of all Jack's siblings, his brother and sister in law were the least offensive to Becky, and she supposed eldest younger sister was harmless, even if she was the most boring person Becky had ever met.

But she supposed they were still family now.

Right at that moment in time, Becky was sitting down on a stool in the living room, with Davina behind her, carefully putting pins into her hair with a dedicated hand.

Also in the room was Maxine, who was acting as bridesmaid, and James.

Maxine was currently sitting on the edge of the coffee table, being careful not to crease the lovely purple dress Becky had bought for her. She was holding a dressed up James on her knee - she had bonded with her baby brother very well since his birth, and felt like a real big sister.

Davina was dressed in a simple pale blue dress, and she smiled as she helped her friend.

" You can relax, you know," she said, noticing the way Becky's shoulders were a little tense.

Becky giggled a little as she let out a sigh of relief, " I just can't help it. I'm so nervous. "

" What's there to be nervous about? " Maxine laughed, shaking her head in amusement as she glanced over to Davina, " you've been together for years - you live together - you've got a kid. It's not like he won't turn up. "

" She's right, you know," Davina added, carefully putting another pin into Becky's dark hair, which had been curled especially for the most important day of her life, " Jack's absolutely head over heels in love with you - any fool can see that. "

Becky nodded - she couldn't explain the nerves that were shooting through her body, because she _knew _they were completely irrational. Sitting right here right now was proof that she and Jack had something very special - she was sitting in the house they shared, opposite their baby and foster daughter.

" Well, I _am _lucky," she agreed, " Jack's the best, isn't he? "

Maxine smiled happily at the dreamy smile on Becky's face, and after another few moments, Davina's hands were removed from Becky's hair.

" There," she said proudly, " all done - you look fab. No-one would guess you've given birth under 3 months ago, and have spent all the time since then up all hours with a screaming baby. "

Becky grinned, and as she stood up slowly, she felt elegant and ladylike and felt more beautiful than she ever had in her life. She went to look in the mirror than hung over the fireplace and could barely believe the sight she was met with - the woman looking back at her had a glow to her skin, all lit up from a radiant smile, and she looked simply but elegant - her dark curly hair framing a pretty face, with a few urls pinned back and a pearly silver fascinator pinned in the side.

" Oh, Davina thank you," she said, " it's perfect. "

Becky then heard the front door open, and Tom called out, " I'm back! "

Tom had been tasked with driving the car to the registry office, and had just been to drop Chlo and Mika off, before coming back for the bride, Maxine, James and Davina.

Jack had been forced out of the house by Becky last night, worrying about back luck, and had been sent to stay with his brother. Jack's family all lived in Leeds, and had come over the night before, to stay in a travel-lodge on the other side of town.

Tom came into the living room, and he stopped in the doorway as soon as he saw his sister standing in the middle of the room - he hadn't seen her at all that morning, and all he could do was stare.

Becky smiled a little in amusement, and as Tom looked her up and down and words still failed him, Becky finally asked, " Everything alright? "

" Alright? " he echoed, " alright? You look ... well, absolutely ... _gorgeous. "_

Becky felt her cheeks heat up a little, " Well," she mumbled, " I guess that's a good thing then. "

Tom sighed, and he looked a little overwhelmed, so Davina cleared her throat. " Maxine," she said, " shall we go out to the car? "

Maxine took the hint and stood up, holding James carefully in her arms.

" You really do look stunning," Maxine nodded as she came to stand beside Becky.

Becky smiled and reached out to hug Maxine warmly, " Thanks sweetie," she said, hugging her carefully, with James being inbetween them. She then reached out to take her son from Maxine's arms, and held him to her gently.

" Hey sweetie," she cooed, smiling as James seemed to gurgle happily in his mother's arms, " you look gorgeous don't you? Yes you do, sweetie, you look very sweet. And now you're going to see Mummy and Daddy getting married, baby. "

She giggled and leaned in to plant a kiss on her baby's pudgy little cheek. She was about to hand him to Maxine again, when Tom cleared his throat.

Becky rolled her eyes in amusement - Tom was absolutely devoted to his little nephew and was doing a very good job of being a doting uncle. He bought the little boy presents at every possible moment, and always wanted to steal a kiss and a cuddle.

" Hey mate," he mumbled, picking James up, " are you looking forward to seeing silly Mummy and Daddy finally get themselves sorted out? Nah, you just want to get to the after party don't you, in the hopes that there'll be more attention on you, like there usually is. "

James gurgled at his uncle, and Tom nodded wisely, " Knew you'd agree, mate. "

He handed James back over to Maxine, and once she, James and Davina had left the room, Becky looked up at Tom.

He was wearing a smart black suit with a crisp white shirt and dark purple tie and flower. Becky thought he looked more handsome than he ever had before - and she knew her brother had never been short of female admirers - and she could tell he'd made an effort.

" So," she started," this is it. "

Tom nodded and his sister thought he rather looked like he might cry - something she rarely saw him do.

" Look at you," he said, shaking his head, " you're so ... grown up. I think it's just hit me, that there's nothing little about my little sister anymore. "

Becky giggled, " Tommy, I've been grown up for a long time. But I'll still _always _be your little sister. "

Tom nodded, and he moved forward and was pulling her into a hug before she could quite see it coming. She felt his hands resting on her back, against the luxurious material of her simple cream dress.

She sighed happily and wrapped her arms around him - there was always something so safe and secure about her big brother, and he hugged her to him for a long moment, before letting go of her and holding her at arms length.

" Becky," he said, " you look absolutely beautiful, and I know you're going to be happy with Jack. But you've got to know that I'm still always here for you. "

Becky nodded, looking into the face of her caring big brother, " I'm not changing," she said, " I'm still going to be me, and I'm sure I'm still going to need you, and I'm still going to want to be your friend, you know. But thank you. "

She leaned forwards and pressed a kiss against his cheek, and he sighed heavily when they both straightened up.

" Mum and Dad would be so proud, you know," he said after a few seconds, looking as though he was trying to compose himself, " they'd be so proud of you, for everything you've achieved. "

Becky swallowed hard, and she nodded, " Thank you. You're the best brother ever - you know that, don't you? "

Tom shook his head, looking incredibly modest, " Don't be daft - what about Ian? "

Becky shook her head, " I think I can't quite compare Ian to you in terms of the amount of times you've been there for me. Thanks, Tommy. "

Tom simply smiled, and he cleared his throat, " Right," he said, " how about we get going? Don't want to be late, do you? "

Becky grinned, and as Tom offered his arm out to her with a big grin on his face too. She stepped forwards and accepted his arm, and he raised his eyebrows, " I hope Jack knows just how lucky he is to be getting a Clarkson in the family. "

" I think he does," she assured him.

When they went outside, Becky felt more and more excited, and she got into the passenger seat of the car, whilst Tom got into the drivers seat. Becky felt unbelieveably excited as they drove towards the registry office, and once they got there, they walked into the hallway.

Davina went ahead into the room where the wedding would be held, and they were met in the hallway by Jack's youngest sister - who looked like she'd tried to do her best by wearing a short, tight dress.

" Oh Rebecca, there you are," Jennifer Rimmer said, " you look lovely, of course. " Turning to Tom with a glint in her eye, she said, " you _must _be Rebecca's brother. I see good looks run in the family - maybe we could ... chat later? "

Tom looked a bit taken aback and he stammered, " Erm ... yeah. "

Jennifer nodded, " Great. I'd better tell them that you're all ready. " Noticing the other two, she smiled a little, though it didn't quite meet her eyes, " oh, doesn't James look sweet. Oh, hello Melanie. "

She walked away, and into the room where the small wedding was taking place, and Maxine frowned, " She _knows _my name. "

Tom raised his eyebrows, " Well she's ... "

He couldn't seem to find the right word, and Becky nodded, " Jennifer loves Jennifer, and getting her own way - unfortunately that means the only people she pays proper attention to are men she thinks she's got a shot with. The rest of us ... well, just put up with it. "

" A charming sister in law," Tom mumbled, thinking of how little attention she'd actually paid to the bride and how forced her comment on Becky's looks seemed.

" Who cares about her," Becky shrugged, " I want to go get married. "

Tom offered out his arm once again, and Becky sighed happily. She took a deep breath in and turned to hug Maxine, before kissing James' forehead, and then turning back to Tom. She slipped her hand through his arm and rested it on the sleeve of his smart black suit.

" Ready? " asked Tom.

Becky nodded, " More than," she replied.

Then, before she knew it, she was going into her own wedding. She was vaugely aware of someone opening the doors, and a little bit of music playing, but as she looked down the short aisle, with Jack and his brother standing at the end in front of the registrar, all she could think about was getting to him.

Her heart hammered against her chest, and the smile on her face just grew and grew.

Jack looked completely stunned as he saw her, and she thought that this could only be a good thing. She knew that in her beautiful yet modest cream dress, she knew she looked far better than she had in weeks and weeks - for once, there were no big bags under her eyes, no bits of spit up or spilled milk down her clothes, and no clothes that were wrinkled where she hadn't had time to iron them.

She knew she looked good, but from the look on Jack's face, she looked more than good.

She wasn't even aware of the others around her looking in her direction - the only thing she saw was Jack. Somehow, Jack looked far more handsome than he ever had before, she thought and by the time she and Tom got to the end of the aisle, the only thing she could think about was she and Jack.

" Good luck," Tom mumbled with a grin, as Becky let go of his arm.

She smiled at him, and as she came to stand beside Jack, he grinned and whispered, " You look incredible, love. "

Becky smiled, her smile so wide that she thought she'd never stop being happy again.

It was a short ceremony, but it was perfect. Becky and Jack held hands throughout, and as the registrar spoke to they and their guests, they couldn't stop smiling at each other.

Becky didn't think she'd ever felt more in love with him, and when the time came to say their vows and he slid the wedding ring onto her finger, she felt like it was the last perfect piece of her life.

When they were pronounced man and wife, Jack wasted no time in reaching out and cupping her cheek with one hand as he pressed his lips to hers, in a short, sweet kiss.

They broke apart to their cheers and applause of their friends, and Becky giggled, feeling Jack's strong arm wrap around her waist as they walked out of the room, their guests following.

Once they were outside the registry office, Becky grinned and Tom took a camera from Davina, who had been storing it in her purse for him.

He waved it in the air and told them they definitley needed some pictures of this.

Becky wasn't about to argue, and around them was a buzz of excitement as their friends and family congratulated them. As Tom held the camera up and shouted at everyone, Becky reached out for Jack.

He grinned and wrapped his arm around her again and Becky looked around and saw Maxine, still holding James. She reached out for Maxine and pulled her over to them by her arm. She leaned down and kissed her foster daughter's cheek and also her son's forehead, before wrapping an arm around the teenage girl.

They all smiled for the camera - though Becky knew she wouldn't stop smiling all day anyway - and when the picture was taken, Maxine hugged both Becky and Jack as tightly as she could, given that James was balanced on her hip.

" Come here little man," Jack grinned, reaching out for his son.

Maxine passed him over, and Jack beamed with pride once he had hold of his son. James reached out to try and grab hold of his father's face, and Jack chuckled, sticking his tounge out at the little boy.

" Well, this is how it's meant to be now, isn't it? " Jack cooed to his son, bouncing him up and down, " and doesn't Mummy look really really pretty? " When James did nothing more than gurgle, Jack nodded wisely, " I knew you'd agree mate. "

Becky grinned and she reached out to take hold of James' pudgy little hand, which he was waving around furiously, " What about Daddy, ey? Doesn't Daddy look simply _brilliant? _"

Jack grinned and he looked up at Becky.

" I'm so happy I've got you," he said.

Becky grinned, " Me too. Finally feels like everything's in place, doesn't it? "

" Indeed it does, Mrs Rimmer," Jack nodded, shifting his baby a little so he could hold him in one arm and use the other to reach out and take his wife's hand. He lifted the hand up to his lips and pressed a kiss to the back of it, " and god how I love you, Mrs Rimmer. "

Becky grinned, " Mr Rimmer, the feelings are entirely mutual. "


	3. First Day of Term

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter Three

On the third day of September, Becky found herself frantically trying to get ready to go to Waterloo Road. After three years of being there full time, this would be the first time she hadn't gone back properly - instead, she would take maternity leave until after the October half term, but go back in for a couple of days to keep herself up to date with the school.

This was the first day of term, and Becky was half looking forward to doing something other than sitting in the house, but at the same time terrified.

After spending the summer around the house, going to work would be very different. For the first time in months, she would have to get herself ready, be organised and go out. Over the summer, she only places she'd been had been at her own leisure, but this was different.

When Jack came into the kitchen that morning, strolling in in his suit, he put his briefcase down on the worktop.

He found Becky sitting at the kitchen table, James in her arms, and attempting to give him his bottle. Her long dark hair was pulled up in a ponytail, she looked tired, and she was still wearing her pajamas.

She looked up when she saw him and smiled slightly, " Morning, honey. "

" Rebecca, shouldn't you be ready for work? " he asked lightly, walking over to the kettle and flicking the switch down to turn it on.

He soon wondered if he ought to regret his words when his wife turned to glare at him - as best she could, with their baby in her arms. " Be ready? " she echoed, " how can I be ready when I've got to feed a fussing baby - I don't have time to get ready for work. "

He turned around to face her when he heard the desperation creeping ito her voice as she continued, " It's like he _knows _that I've got to be somewhere - he's been far more awkward than he usually is. I don't have time to get ready. "

Jack sighed and he moved over to her. He pulled out the kitchen chair beside her, leaned over to kiss her forehead and calmly said, " Let me take him. You go get ready. "

Becky sighed, " Jack, I've started now - "

" Here," Jack said, " go get ready. Give me the bottle. "

Becky sighed and she felt a rush of relief pass through her and she nodded. Slowly she stood up and handed her son and his bottle to his father. Jack glanced at the clock, " You'd better hurry up, love. "

On her way up the stairs, Becky passed Maxine and shouted a quick "good morning" to her as she jogged up the stairs, and Maxine huried down. By now, Maxine was used to her foster parents hurrying around in a panic.

Becky got ready for work, looking forward to getting to see all her collegues again, but at the same time, started to have doubts about leaving her son behind.

She dressed in a pair of black trousers and a blue blouse, throwing a black blazer over the top. She vaguely managed to do something with her hair, though she couldn't get it to lie completely flat, and then she packed her handbag and the folders she thought she would need.

When she came back downstairs, she found Jack wiping the baby's mouth.

He smiled when he saw her, " Everything alright? " he asked.

Becky nodded - she still felt tired, but she thought she looked at least half decent now. Certainly decent enough to go into the school, anyway.

" Course it is," she nodded, going into the cupboard and taking her rings out of the place she kept them in when she wasn't wearing them. She slipped both her engagement and wedding ring onto her ring finger, and then set about packing everything she thought James would need for the day.

For the first time ever, Waterloo Road was having a creche, which meant Becky would be able to leave her baby there for the day - she had met the woman who would be running it the week before, and decided that she quite liked her.

" I'm going to meet Janeece," Maxine told Becky, appearing in the kitchen doorway, dressed in her uniform with her bag thrown over her shoulder.

Becky smiled, " Alright sweetie, have a good day won't you? And we'll see you tonight, if we don't see you inbetween. Jack was talking about going out for a meal or something. That's if I haven't fallen asleep by the time I get home from work. "

Maxine smiled a little, " Well, I'll see you later. Here's hoping I don't have Budgen today. "

Becky smiled, " See you later, sweetie. "

When she and Jack had finally got James ready, and had got everything they needed, Becky stopped in the hallway, her arms loaded with her handbag and James' baby bag.

" Jack," she sighed, " I'm not so sure about this. "

Jack raised his eyebrows, " You're not sure about it? Becky, love, what's going on? "

She sighed heavily, " Jack, I just ... I know we talked about it, but I'm not sure about leaving James by himself. I ... we haven't left him for that long before. I'm just ... I don't know if I'm ready. "

Jack was holding his son in his arms, and he sighed.

" I know how you feel," Jack said calmly, " but everything's going to be fine, I promise. We've left him before for a few hours, haven't we? "

" But I don't want him to be scared or confused because we're not there," Becky told him, reaching out to touch her son's cheek, and smiling a little at the smile her baby gave her. " What if he's not alright without us? "

" He will be," Jack promised, " he'll be fine. We've left him for a few hours before. "

It was true - they had. They'd left James with his Uncle Tom for a few hours before now so they could have a few hours off, and they'd left him with Maxine for very short periods of time too.

" This is a whole day though," Becky sighed.

" Not really," Jack told her, " listen to me - James is going to be fine. And we don't have to leave him all day - we can see him at break and dinner - it's only a couple of hours. It could be good for him - get him used to the creche for when you go back full time. "

" I'm really not sure," Becky said.

Jack shook his head and stepped forward a little, closing the distance so he had the room to lean down and kiss her forehead slowly, " I worry about James every minute of every day too, but I also know he's going to be fine. "

Becky hesitated. She wasn't quite sure what to say and she thought about it for a few momets. She let out a sigh and then looked Jack in the eye, " Fine," she said, " you're right. "

They'd already discussed it at length before now, and she supposed this was just last minute nerves.

Jack smiled, " Good. C'mon - let's go. If I'm honest, I'm quite looking forward to showing off my little man and my gorgeous new wife. "

Becky smiled at the way Jack always knew how to make her feel better. She supposed when she thought about it, she would quite like to go see Matt, Jasmine, Davina and Tom, and everyone else at the school.

They secured their son into the back of the car, and threw all their things in the boot.

Once it was done, Becky climbed into the passenger seat of the car and pulled down the mirror in front of her. She pulled her make up out of her bag, and as Jack drove the car, she started to apply it.

Jack chuckled a little, and catching the look he threw at her, she shrugged innocently, " I realised that if I'm going into that school as Mrs Rimmer, as going to go into that school looking good. How are you feeling anyway - about going back to the school, I mean? "

" I'm looking forward to it," he replied, " it feels like I should be going into the head's office, but I think I'm looking forward to doing my subject and just having you, James and Maxine around all the time. "

Becky smiled, running her pale pink lipstick across her lower lip, and when she was finished with it, she nodded, " Jack? "

" Yes love? " he asked, without taking his eyes from the road.

Becky smiled, " I love you. I really do, you know. "

He chuckled, " Not that I don't appreciate the reminder, but what's brought this on? "

She shrugged, reaching into her handbag for her blusher compact, " Just thought I ought to tell you - it feels like everything's right - me, you, Maxy, James, Waterloo Road ... you know? "

Jack smiled, " Yes, darling wife. I know exactly what you mean. "

When they got to the school, Jack pulled into the carpark. It was already busy - full of pupils and staff members gathering up after a summer apart, and Becky had to admit that she'd missed the buzz of it all.

She got out of the car and left her husband to get their bags, while she opened the back door and started to unfasten James from the carseat. She smiled proudly as she lifted him up into her arms, and turned to see Jack watching her.

" D'you need the carseat unclipping? " he asked her.

She shook her head, holding James close, wrapping her arms around him protectively, " No, I want to carry him. "

Jack smiled, " And what about when he's in the creche? Aren't they going to need something to put him in, and there's very little point putting the pram up to get around school. "

Becky narrowed her eyes, " Fine," she said, " but I want to carry him. "

" Wouldn't dream of arguing with you, love," Jack smirked, gently nudging her aside as he got to the car. Becky smiled, bouncing James a little, " Daddy's learning, isn't he, baby? Mummy's always gets her own way. "

Jack chuckled to himself and when he turned around, with the empty car seat in one hand, he looked at his son, " Daddy _lets _Mummy thinks she's getting her own way. It's easier that way. "

James gurgled and curled his tiny fist up, and Jack shrugged, taking it as an agreement.

Becky rolled her eyes, and with her handbag on one shoulder, and her baby in her arms, she started to walk towards the school. Jack was holding the carseat, in which he'd thrown his briefcase, as well as James' baby bag.

As they walked into school, Becky's attention was solely on her son as she provided him with a full narative in her best baby voice, while they started walking towards the creche.

" So baby," she said, " this is where Mummy and Daddy, and Uncle Tom work, and this is where you're going to be staying when Mummy goes back to work properly. "

James was looking at her intently, his eyes - exactly the same as his father's - watching hers as if she were the most interesting person, although she knew he didn't really understand.

Jack grinned, aware of the looks they were attracting, and the smiles the girls were all throwing both his way and James' way, as they awwwwed over him.

" Down there is Mummy's old office," Becky continued, " and it's Uncle Tom's now. "

James gave his best smile on hearing his uncle's name, and Becky nodded, " Yep, that's right. We all know how devoted you are to Uncle Tom, don't we? Sometimes I think between Daddy and Uncle Tom, I don't get a look in. "

Jack scoffed, " Please, he loves his Mummy, don't you, little man? "

When they got to the creche, Jack gave Lisa - the kind, plump, middle-aged woman who ran it - James' bag and carseat, and Lisa reached out to fuss over the little boy.

" I'll come back and drop him off in about 15 minutes or so," Becky told Lisa, " we've got an assembly to go to, but first I'm sure everyone wants to see my little one. "

They started to walk towards the assembaly hall, where they knew they needed to be for assembly, and Becky proudly carried her son. Jack looked voer at the pair of them, and despite the fat that he was at work, and knew he ought to be acting professional, he couldn't bring himself to shake off the love sick smile.

When they rounded the corner to get outside the assembay hall, several of their collegues were already gathered there, mostly facing away from them.

As they walked over to their collegues, Becky spotted Tom, Davina, Matt and Jasmine standing together, and Tom was the first to stop them.

" Becky! " he grinned as she and Jack got closer, and his eyes immediately fell on his nephew, " hey, you've brought my gorgeous little nephew to me. "

Tom looked as delighted as ever to see his nephew, and Becky and Jack had now attracted the attentions of Jasmine and Davina, and Matt. The two women and Matt turned around, and with an impish smile, Matt started humming the wedding march, which prompted Davina and Jasmine to join in.

Becky giggled, and when they reached them, Tom's arms were already stretched out to take hold of his nephew. Becky was more than used to Tom always snatching up her son, and James' looked only too happy to see his uncle.

Matt finally got to the end of his wedding march, and Becky laughed, " It's good to see you all too. "

By now, most of their collegues were looking at them, and Matt - who Becky thought looked very tired and quite hungover, seemed to perk up a little with the appearance of James.

" Hey little man," he said, reaching out to touch the baby's hand, and cooing over the baby.

Tom smiled and sternly told his nephew, " Matt's going to try and make you like music and drama, but what you _really _want to like is english and Man City. You just remember that. "

James smiled and reached out to try and grab his uncle's face, causing Tom to chuckle and stick his tounge out, making James laugh a little. Becky rolled her eyes, " Stop trying to corrupt my son, Tommy. He wants to be a historian like Mummy. The football, I won't argue with. "

" Wouldn't have had you down as the football type," Jasmine said to Becky with a smile.

Becky shrugged, " Growing up with Tom as a brother, you _had _to be into football, and it kind of stuck. Used to help Tom coach 5 aside, actually. Before I got given head of pastoral care anyway, and that took over. "

Jack grinned, wrapping an arm around Becky's shoulders, " Our first date was after she'd finished coaching 5-aside one night, wasn't it? "

Becky grinned at the memory and told her friends - all of whom except Tom hadn't worked here then - " This big spender took me to the local. "

After a brief silence, Matt looked at the proud parents, " looks like you, doesn't he, Jack? "

Jack grinned and exchanged a look with Becky before nodding, " We think so," he nodded.

" So," Jasmine said, after also cooing over James, " congratulations on the wedding. You two really deserve it. "

Matt nodded, " Yeah, congratulations. Let's see the ring then. "

Becky had been dying to show off, even if she knew that was a little vain, and she held out her left hand. Jasmine and Matt - neither of whom Becky and Jack had seen all summer - both admired it, and Becky blushed as she thought back to her happy day, while the smile on Jack's face showed he was impossibly proud.

When Becky was allowed her hand back, Jack kissed the top of her head, and Becky took the time to look around at everyone. Steph was talking to the other languages teachers, while Grantly was no-where to be seen yet, and the rest of the staff were all gathered by now.

Becky thought Jasmine had gone to Scotland for the summer to see her parents, and they'd seen very little of Matt, though they'd exchanged a few emails.

" So," Davina said, snapping Becky out of her thoughts, " how're you finding it all now? I know you said he was being fussy last week. "

Becky had found a fairly good friend in Davina now she was seeing Tom and had moved in with him, and Becky had been glad of her company over the summer. " He's great," Becky said, " he was a bit fussy this morning, but he seems happy now. "

" It's because he's got his Uncle Tom, isn't it, mate? " Tom asked, holding his nephew closer.

" I didn't even realise you were coming in today, until I saw you," Jasmine commented.

Becky shrugged, " Well, I'm just in to help Tom get to grips with pastoral care - you know, sort out the filing, and all the start of year files and reports that need doing. I won't be doing any actual teaching. "

Matt sighed heavily and ran a hand through his short blonde hair, and not for the first time, Becky thought he looked tired and fed up, and she sighed - he looked hungover.

" I think I need to go in and sit down," Matt said, before brushing past everyone and going into the hall.

As soon as he'd gone, Becky pulled a face, " He doesn't look so good, does he? "

Jasmine nodded, " Looks like he's taking his split with Colin pretty badly, doesn't it? "

" He's split up with Colin? " Tom asked, his interested finally torn away from his son.

Davina rolled her eyes, " Becky told you about it two weeks ago, if that, Tom. Matt told her in one of his emails, that that's why he'd been so distany from everyone, remember? "

" Poor Matt," Becky sighed, before looking around and seeing that everyone was starting to file into the hall. " Come on, Rimmer," she added, nodding towards the hall, before looking at Tom, " and you, give me my son back. "

Tom looked beyond reluctant but sighed and allowed Becky to take hold of her son, who also seemed a little reluctant to part. Becky smiled at her baby, and as they went into the hall, Jack nudged her, and nodded in the direction of a man across the corridor.

He looked young and from what he was wearing, she supposed he had to be a P.E teacher.

As pupils and staff alike went into the assembaly hall, Becky took a seat between Jack and Tom, while the other staff sat down in the rows around. She settled James down on her knee, and held him close, looking around the hall, and smiling a little as she heard Jack mumble to her son, and take hold of his little hand.

Once everyone was in the hall and settled down, the doors opened again, and Rachel walked in, closely followed by Eddie.

The students erupted into cheers at the sight of their headmistress, and Becky knew the school had been worried about losing her after the revelation that she had once been a prostitute, and then after her recent injuries in the fire.

The cheers continued as Rachel got up onto the stage, and she laughed, holding up her hands, whilst Eddie took a seat with the rest of the staff.

" That's enough, thank you," Rachel called, before laughing when her words had no effect, " that's enough! Thank you! "

When she had silence, she smiled and continued, looking around at everyone, " Well, here we are, another year. Um, we have new pupil, and in some places, a new school. We have both new and returning staff - our new P.E teacher, and of course Mr Rimmer returning as a history teacher. "

On this announcement, the pupils broke out into cheers, and Jack grinned. Becky smiled, proud that he had been so popular before - she remembered all the fuss the pupils had put up to stop him from leaving before.

Rachel smiled in the direction of the newlyweds, and added, " And I'm sure we'll all offer our congratulations to Mr Rimmer and the former Miss Clarkson on their recent marriage, and the birth of their son. "

When everyone burst out into applause again, James turned his face to hide against his mother, and Becky smiled, brushing her hand lightly against the top of his head as she tried to soothe him.

Rachel continued, " So, this is a new year, and I want you all to go home and tell your mums and dads and whoever else. I want them all here. This year we're opening the doors to everyone, with our new extended services, and I want to get the message across. If anyone's in need of anything, I want Waterloo Road to be the first place they come. "

After that, she dismissed everyone, and as the pupils started to file out, the staff stayed behind, all still greeting each other after most of them hadn't seen each other all summer.

Matt, who had been sitting behind Becky and Jack, mumbled, " Well, that was quite a speech wasn't it? "

Jack smiled a little - he was extremely fond of Matt, since the young music and drama teacher had been there when becky went into labour during the fire, and had helped keep her calm.

Jasmine joined them, as did Tom and Davina, and as the six stood together, Jasmine rolled her eyes at Matt's coment, " You're just in a mood because of the hangover you seem to be nursing. "

Becky laughed, as she looked up from James' smiling face, " Tut tut tut Mr Wilding - on a school night? "

Matt rolled his eyes, looking quite unimpressed with the interrogation, " Yeah, but night. "

Davina joined in. " Is this a big night every night since you and Colin split? "

Matt rolled his eyes again, " I'm sorry, I didn't realise I had three sisters or something, that I have to answer to. "

Jack's lips twitched upwards in amusement, and he reached out and rested his hand on his wife's back, " Now now ladies," he said, " leave the poor man alone. "

Becky stuck her tounge out at him, but their friends could all see how completely happy the two were with each other. Becky turned her attention back to her beloved baby only to have it taken away a moment later when Davina - who was standing on her left in their little circle, nudged her.

Becky followed her line of vision to see the new PE teacher shaking hands with Steph, as he went around introducing himself to everyone. She, Davina and Jasmine all looked, but it was Jasmine who seemed to be looking over her shoulder - as she was facing away from him - with the most interest.

" Oh for God's sake Jasmine," Matt sighed, " put your tounge back in. "

When Jasmine made no response, Becky shrugged, " You can't blame her Matt - he is quite cute. "

" I beg your pardon? " Jack ground out, not loooking too impresed as she felt his hand on her back stiffen a little.

Becky rolled her eyes, looking up into his, " Oh honey, I'm married not blind. And I only said he was "quite cute. ""

Jack's lips twitched into a little smile as his hand relaxed, and Tom smirked as he joined in the teasing of their youngest teacher, " Jas, you're still staring. "

Jasmine promptly turned back around and shook her head, " I'm not interested. Besides, I don't date my collegues - it's unprofessional. "

As soon as her words were out, she looked like she regretted them, but her friends simply looked amused.

" Oh dear, oh dear," Tom sighed dramatically, " what does that say about us? "

Becky - his usual partner in crime wore the same teasing smile he did, as she added, " Well, you're the expert, Tommy. But Jasmine, dating your collegues isn't _all _bad, _trust _me. "

Jasmine seemed to have gotten over her embarrassment as she continued, " Well anyway, if I was going to date someone from the staffroom, it wouldn't be a P.E teacher. " Over Jasmine's shoulder, Becky noticed that the PE teacher was approaching, as most of the others had also realised.

Both Tom and Matt cleared their throats, while Davina and Becky tried to give her warning looks, and Jack tried to contain his smirk at the scene that was about to arise.

Jasmine continued, " No, I'm serious. I mean, imagine going out with someone who comes to work in their tracksuit and plimsolls. "

By now the PE teacher was right behind them, and he cleared his throat, before graciously pretending he hadn't heard Jasmine. Jasmine looked over her shoulder at him in horror.

" Hi everyone," he said with an easy smile, " I just wanted to say hello. "

There was an awkward silence, before Tom cleared his throat and broke it by swinging his hand out to greet the new teacher. " Nice to meet you mate," he said, " welcome aboard. "

The new teacher looked relieved, and Becky supposed that they must have seemed like a close knit group to anyone who watched from the otuside - the six of them laughing and joking.

" Rob Cleaver," the new teacher said, shaking Tom's hand.

" Tom Clarkon," Tom nodded, " no need to ask what subject you teach, ey? "

Matt then offered out his hand, as he was standing next to Tom, " Matt Wilding," he said.

Jack smiled as he extended his hand, " Jack Rimmer. "

Becky smiled at Rob Cleaver, although with both of her hands occupied in holding her son, she didn't offer out a hand, " Rebecca Rimmer," she said, " nice to meet you. Although I'm officially on maternity leave with this one - this is just one of my keeping in touch days. "

" Davina Shackleton," Davina smiled, when Becky wa finished, also shaking Rob's hand.

Lastly, Rob turned to Jasmine. He paused before offering out his hand, and they all knew that that awkward moment meant he'd heard what she's said. Jasmine awkwardly shook his hand and mumbled, " Jasmine. "

Rob nodded, looking around at them all, before nodding again, " Well, I'll leave you all to it then. "

They all watched him walk away, and once he'd gotten out of earshot, Matt nodded, " Well he's fit," he said - aimed mostly at Jasmine - " which of course he needs to be do to his job. "

Jasmine sighed heavily, " Please tell me he didn't hear all of that. "

Matt nodded, " Oh yeah, he didn't hear all of that. "

" Just most of it," Jack added with a smirk.

Becky rolled his eyes at him fondly, before glancing at the clock, " I've got to go," she said, " you lot should all be getting to your classes, and I have to take James to the creche. "

Jack smiled and carefully extracted his son from his mother's arms. Lifting the little boy up to look at him, he said, " Right, Mummy's going to take you to the creche, but we'll see you soon, right? You be a good baby for the nice lady. Daddy loves you. "

Becky couldn't help but smile at how cute Jack was, and she grinned, " Come on Daddy, let me take him. "

As Jack carefully handed him back to Becky, Tom spoke up, " Hey, can I have a last cuddle? "

Becky rolled her eyes, " No," she said, " do it on your own time - you must get to hug him more than anyone else, come to think of it. Now, I'll meet you in my - well, _your - _office in about ten minutes, yeah? "

Tom rolled his eyes, " God forbid I disobey my little sister. "

She stuck her tounge out at him, and left them all behind as she took off towards the creche. Whilst on her way, she saw Eddie walking down the corridor towards her.

It wasn't half an hour into the term and he looked stressed out, and she saw Rachel walking behind him, followed by a woman dressed in scruffy clothes. The woman was pushing a pram with a toddler in, and was followed by two highly unimpressed looking teenage boys and an equally unimpressed teenage girl.

When they saw her, Rachel smiled, despite also looking stressed.

" Rebecca, welcome back for another year - everything alright? "

Becky grinned, " More than alright. "

Eddie smiled, " Well, congratulations, Mrs Rimmer. And this must be James? "

Becky smiled proudly as she looked at her son, " Yeah. James, this is Mr Lawson - he works here with me and Daddy, yeah? "

" Looks like Jack, doesn't he? " Eddie chuckled, looking down at the infant.

" Can't we get going? " the unknown woman snapped, a thick irish accent very prominent in her voice, " aren't I supposed to be enrolling these lot into this school of yours? "

Rachel smiled politely, but Becky could see it was forced - this family looked like a handful.

Becky cleared her throat, " Well, I'd better get going. I have to take James to the creche, and help Tom sort out all this pastoral care stuff - someone's got to put him on the right path, haven't they - and it looks like you two are busy anyway. "

Rachel smiled at her, " We'll catch up with you later. "

Becky took James to the creche, and he it seemed he didn't want her to leave. She sighed - he was very youg to be left alone for the day, she supposed. She gave him a big hug as she held him to her, and he eventually seemed to calm down enough for her to be able to hand him over to Lisa, with the promise that she'd be back very soon.

She then went to the staffroom, to see if there was anything in her tray, and as she did so, Davina was also heading for the staffroom at the same time.

As the two women walked in, in conversation, and as Becky reached into her tray, she glanced around the staffroom, and saw Grantly and Steph standing nearby.

She and Davina saw Grantly at the same time, and both immediately burst out laughing - Grantly was wearing a toupee on his usually bald head.

Unable to stop herself, Becky burst out laughing, and Davina did the same.

Behind Grantly's back, Steph joined in, and Grantly huffed and then left the room, shaking his head. Becky stared after him, " He's not actually going to teach like that? What will the kids say? "

Steph scoffed, " Goodness knows - look at the state of him. "

Becky managed to compose herself enough to look around the room, " Has anyone seen Tom? "

Davina pulled a face, " I think he's gone out for a cig," she said.

Becky frowned, putting her hands on her hips, the few pieces of paper she'd pulled out of her tray in one hand, " Really? I though he'd given up? "

Davina grimaced, " I think he's fallen off the wagon. "

Becky sighed and shook her head, " I'll go find him - I _told _him we had things to sort out, didn't I? Honestly - how you're putting up with him, I don't know. "

As Becky left the room, Davina looked after her with a smile. Steph chuckled too, " Does she seem stressed to you? All this ... trying to keep Tom in line and get him sorted out? "

Davina considered it for a moment and then shook her head, " No. She's the happiest she's been in a long time - I think now she's got a child, she's relishing in taking care of everyone. She's so happy now though. "

Steph nodded, " Good. She deserves to be. "

Meanwhile Becky was heading outside. Once she got outside, she walked towards the end of the school were any smokers could usually be found. When she got there, she saw an old clapped out camper van parked there.

Donte was standing in front of it, dressed down, and looking every inch the mechanic, with parts and pieces scattered everywhere. Tom was watching Donte, a cigarette in one hand, looking highly unimpressed.

" What're you two up to? " Becky asked, walking over, " don't you have anywhere better to be? "

" Free period," Donte replied, with a smile to his godmother.

" Me too," Tom replied.

Becky rolled her eyes, but couldn't stop the amusement that shone through them , " Dear brother, you are _supposed _to be getting to grips with pastoral care. Put that cigarette out and follow me to your new office. What's all this here, anyway? "

Tom scoffed, nodding at the camper van, " Donte's trying to fix up this hunk of junk. " Taking a drag on his cigarette, he added, " I don't see how it can be done. It's a wreck. "

Becky giggled a little - it really was a wreck - and Donte protested angrily, " This is mine and Chlo's future! "

Tom sighed in exasperation, " I really wish you hadn't said that. "

Donte rolled his eyes, " Come on Tom, you've got a have a better vision, mate. This my friend, is a win-win situation. "

Tom looked skeptical at best, but Becky couldn't help but think whatever Donte was doing, he was probably doing it for a good reason - she knew he would have had good intentions, and she also knew that as much as Tom loved to tease and pick on Donte, it was all in good nature, and he really liked the boy.

" How d'you work that one out? " Tom asked, frowning.

Donte proudly informed him, " Well, while I'm working on this, I'm also working towards my NVQ in mechanics, and when I get it on the road, me and Chlo can start earning. It's going to be a mobile hairdressers for Chlo - I'm gonna fit it out properly. Becky, you're on my side, right? "

Becky smiled a little, " Sweetie, I think it's great that you're thinking about your futures, but I wouldn't dream of coming between my brother and his son in law. "

She reached out and plucked the cigarette deftly from Tom's fingers, and stamped it out under her shoe. " Good luck with this bag of bolts Donte, now come on Clarkson, you're slacking off and we've got work to do. "

Tom sighed heavily and glanced at Donte, " When did she become the boss around here? "

The tww of them went to the pastoral care office, and spent the rest of the lesson setting up files and getting report for the new students, and trying to make a list of people who ought to be on the mentoring scheme.

" So," Becky said, as she and her brother started to walk to the staffroom at break, " there was a girl and two boys, and they looked like a right handful from the look on Eddie and Rachel's faces. "

Tom rolled his eyes as they moved through the crowds, " Just what we need - more troublesome pupils. "

Becky nodded, " I know. Hey - him over there, he was one of the new boys, I think. "

They looked across the corridor to see a boy pushing Paul Langely, another pupil, up against a locker, at the bottom of the school's main staircase.

" Hey! " Becky shouted, moving forwards, at the same time that Paul's best friend, Bolton, shouted, " Get off him! "

" Or what? " the new boy asked.

" Or you'll have me to deal with," Tom said, as the two of them reached them. Paul and Bolton took the opportunity to quickly leave, and once they'd gone, Tom turned back to the new boy. Becky couldn't help but immediately think she didn't like him.

" Now," Tom said calmly, " I know it must be hard for you to start at a new school, but you're not going to make it any easier for yourself by throwing your weight around, are you? I don't know what it was like at your last school, but there's no need for it. "

The boy shrugged and tried to walk off, and Becky reached out and lightly touched his arm, " Hang on, you're not finished here yet. "

She was surprised when he whipped around and glared at her, " Get off me," he snapped. When she faltered, completely surprised by his attitute, the boy violently wrenched his arm away from her, " I said get off me! "

Tom swiftly stepped forwards and somehow naturally managed to move Becky back a little - being as protective as ever. " Where d'you think speaking to people like that will get you? " he demanded.

The boy - Becky thought she'd earlier heard Rachel refer to them as the Kelly family, but she didn't actually know the boy's name - suddenly reached out and pushed Tom up against the locker, violently.

Becky was stunned, and she reached out and tried to pull the boy off her brother, and was even more surprised when he tried to push her away, making her stumble a bit.

If there was one way to annoy Tom, it was to try and harm his sister, and he angrily reversed the situation, so he was the one pinning the new boy up.

" Don't mess with me," the new boy spat, making Becky think he was some kind of maniac.

" Or else what? " Tom demanded, narrowing his eyes.

" Trust me, you don't want to know," the boy said.

Becky watched him slowly raise his hand, and was horrified to see him make the shape of a gun with his fingers, and press his fingers to Tom's temple, pretending to shoot him.

" Hey! " Becky said, moving forwards, " that's completely unacceptable. "

Tom held up his hand to silence her, and took over. " I'm going to pretend you didn't just do that because it's your first day, but if you ever do that to me or any other teacher in this school, you'll be out of here before you know what's hit you. Not get out of here. "

The boy hurried off without another word, leaving Becky staring after him. She had a very bad feeling about him, and as she managed to look away from the direction he'd just left in, she shook her head at Tom.

" Um, Tom? What the hell just happened? "

Tom shook his head slowly, " I don't know, but I'm guessing our new family is going to be very difficult if they're all like him. "

Becky shook her head and let out a breath, " I can't believe there's a boy that rude, that ... that ... the gun thing with the fingers ... on his first day! "

Tom sighed, " I know, Becks, I know. " He reached out to put his hand under her arm, " come on, let's go get a coffee. Maybe we can find out if anyone else knows anything about this lot. "

They made their way up to the staffroom, and found it filled with all their collegues, who were catching up after a summer away from each other.

In the kitchen area, Jack and Davina were stood there, while Matt and Rob were sitting on the kitchen counter, joining in with the conversation, as were Jasmine, Steph and Grantly, who were sitting at the coffee table.

" Hey, there you are," Davina smiled, " we thought you'd got lost. "

" Made you a drink, love," Jack added, holding up a cup of coffee for his wife as she came to stand beside him. She smiled as he pressed the warm cup into her hands, and she leaned up on her toes to plant a kiss on his cheek.

At the last moment, he turned his head so she caught his lips, and she giggled at him for it when they broke apart.

" I hear we've got a new family," Davina said mildly, as Becky noticed Rob looking around and trying to make in everything, and the dynamics of the whole group.

Becky and Tom exchanged a look, before Becky cleared her throat, " Yeah, they just turned up this morning - 3 boys and a girl. And a toddler too, I think. " She sighed, " God knows what we're taking in now. "

At her side, Jack narrowed her eyes, immediately picking up on the tone of her voice, " Something happened? "

" Just a bit of a run in," she mumbled, taking a sip of her coffee.

Jack sighed, " Come on. Let's hear it. "

Tom told them all what had happened, and when he was finished, they all stared at him.

" He shot you? " Matt repeated, when he was finished.

" Well, with his fingers obviously," Tom replied.

" He pretended to shoot you? " Jack repeated, " shoot you? And they're letting this kind of kid into the school? He's already tried to get violent with two members of staff on his first day? "

" Jack," Becky said, " it ... it's not worth kicking off over. "

" Not worth it? " he asked, voice starting to raise, " are you serious? D'you think I'm going to stand back and let some kid treat you like that? "

Tom sighed, " Jack, let's not get carried away just yet. Look, has anyone else had any dealings with any of them? It's not just me, is it? "

" I had him in my class," Steph admitted, " I thought he was a cheeky little sod. "

" He's a bloody nutter," Tom said, shaking his head.

Becky pulled a face, " As much as I hate to judge the kid on one action, it's not the kind of thing you _do _is it. He's ... well, I'm going to be staying away from him. "

" I get the feeling the family's not had an easy time of it," Jasmine said gently, " I had the youngest brother in my class. "

" Well, I had the oldest," Jack said, " and he seems ok. "

" Well according to the sister," Matt supplied, " they've been pushed from pillar to post by the mum. "

" Exactly," Jasmine nodded, " you know, I was going to have a word with Rachel. "

Grantly scoffed, " To ask her what she was thinking when she enrolled them in the first place, I hope? We're always being told that resources are being overstretched - maybe they'd be more elastic if we didn't take in every nutjob and charity case, let alone whole families of them. "

They all stared at Grantly, never ceasing to be amazed at his attitude towards teaching and the kids.

" Wow," Matt said after a pause, making Becky's lips twitch into a smile, " it's just like Bob Geldof's in the room. "

They all laughed, the tension from talking about the Kelly family lifted, and with a glance at Grantly's new hair piece, Steph slyly added, " Or maybe even Bruce Forsythe. "

" I'll thank you all not to laugh at me," Grantly huffed, as they all stifled their giggles. He then tried to divert the conversation by turning it to something else, " So, Jack, what's your opinion on extended services? "

Jack, mildly surprised, replied, " Erm, if it's going to help the school, then I suppose it's a good thing, but if I were in charge I'd be more focused on doing more for the kids, rather than trying to get other people involved. "

The Extended Services that Rachel was setting up was for the local adults, setting up courses to enable people with no qualifications to earn some, and setting up courses to aid the parents of the pupils.

Becky smirked a little - Jack was never going to like Rachel much, mainly because she had his old job, and she wasn't him.

" Well, I thought you might have gone for the role," Grantly shrugged, " Head of Extended Services - it's a promotion from teacher, even if it's not something you're that passionate about. "

Jack shrugged, " I've got a new wife and a baby - I'm not too bothered about all the extra work. Not until James is at least one, you know? And I could only do something I was passionate about - I want to help the kids, not the local adults, that's not what I signed up for. "

" I heard you're going for the role," Matt said, smirking a little.

Jack chuckled, " Oh, so that's why you're asking, Grantly - trying to check out the competition, are you? "

" Steph, I heard you were going for it," Becky added.

Steph nodded, " Well, I was going to go for head of pastoral care, but it went straight to Tom, so I thought I'd go for this one. You know me - anything for a little extra money. "

The next few hours passed quite quickly - whilst Tom had classes to teach, Becky took the opportunity to go see her baby boy in the creche for a while, before eventually going back to the office, and doing some more admin.

At lunch, she and her friends sat around in the staffroom - where Jack admitted that he'd also called in to see James earlier - and nothing eventful happened.

Not until after lunch.

After lunch, Tom had no class to teach, and as he and Becky stood in the office, putting together a file, the office door opened and Eddie stuck his head around.

" Oh, hi," Becky said, before frowning a little at the look on his face, " everything alright? "

Eddie shook his head, " You need to evacuate the school. "

Becky wasn't sure she'd heard properly at first and she looked at Tom and then back at the deputy head, " Evacuate the school? Seriously? "

Eddie nodded, " I'm sorry, I don't have time to explain, but will you two just get yourselves out of here. Everyone is to evacuate as quickly and orderly as possible. "

With that, he left the office, and Becky frowned, thinking about the last time they'd had to evacuate. She looked at Tom, who was already heading for the door, " Let's get out of here," he said.

" I need to go get James," she said.

Tom nodded, understanding the need to look after her child, and wanting to go grab his little nephew himself, " See you outside then, but hurry up, won't you? "

She nodded and hurried off towards the creche, which was on the same floor as the pastoral care office, only a couple of corridors away.

As she moved on her way, she passed the kids, who were all filing out in silence, their teachers leading them. Whatever it was, there was no noise, no panicking and no hurrying, like with the fire. This was different.

She almost jumped a mile in the air when a hand grabbed hold of her upper arm, and she turned around quickly, and relaxed immediately when she saw Jack looking down at her, and wondered how she hasn't immediately recognised his touch.

He looked worried and his grip on her arm was tight, as if he thought something was going to happen to her.

He looked quite mad actually, she thought, and he ground out, " Rebecca, the exit to the school is _not _that way. This is an evacuation. "

Becky rolled her eyes, " I know exactly what this is, but I have to go get James. "

Jack sighed and relaxed his grip on her arm a little, though he kept hold of her, " You're supposed to be getting yourself out - it's an evacuation. The people in the creche are responsible for bringing the kids out. "

Even as he said it, she knew his words were half hearted, and she sighed, " Jack, I know they will, but he's our baby. I've got to go get him. "

Jack nodded and leaned in to plant a kiss on her forehead, " Fine. But hurry up and get yourself outside. "

Becky grimaced, " I do wonder what's going on ... must be something serious for them to evacuate us all like this. The last time there was an evacuation like this - "

" Stop," Jack said firmly, " it's not like the fire. It's ok. Just get James and hurry up outside. "

Becky didn't hesitate, and they went their seperate ways. Once in the creche, Becky eagerly picked up her son, and assured Lisa that she had him. Becky hurried back outside, and when she got outside, saw the kids all lining up, while their form tutors took the register.

Becky herself obviously had no form, but she walked over to everyone else - aware of the pupils, particularly the girls, looking at her baby with smiles. She found Tom's form lined up next to Jack's new form, and she sighed in relief that they were both alright.

" Becky," Jack breathed as soon as he laid eyes on her, " Becky, you're alright! Thank God. " At the same time, Tom laid his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it, as if reassuring himself that everything was alright.

Becky frowned, " Yeah, I'm fine. Listen, that's this all about? The whole evacuation thing? "

Over the top of her head, Jack met Tom's eyes, and then tucked a hand under her elbow, pulling her back a little, so they were out of the ear shots of the pupils.

James fussed in her arms, confused at all the people nearby, and Becky bounced him up and down lightly, whilst Jack reached out to hold his son's tiny hand. They all remembered that the last evacuation, and it had resulted in James' birth.

Tom leaned in and whispered in her ear, " There's a gun. "

Becky met his eyes, horrified, and shook her head, unable to form any words. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, and after a long pause, she looked from her brother to her husband and back again, " W-what? "

Tom nodded seriously and leaned in again, muttering, " Rachel had a note shoved under her door, saying there's a gun in the school. "

Before Becky had chance to say anything else, Eddie came along and said they all needed to start searching bags. Becky reluctantly took James over to Lisa and the other women who ran the creche, who were keeping tight hold of all the children from the creche.

With great reluctance, she handed James back, and started to join in the bag search. As she did so, she looked around, realising she hadn't seen Maxine yet, but she soon caught her eye and they smiled at each other from across the crowd in relief.

The bag search produced nothing, and Becky had finished searching yet another bag when she saw the police car pull up, and a detective get out to talk to Rachel.

She recognised him as Ralph Mellor - not only was he a detective, he was a school governor, and his daughter was in the same year as Maxine, Chlo and Donte.

Rachel passed him a bit of paper that Becky could only assume was the note.

Then all of a sudden, she heard a gunshot, and all hell broke loose. Everyone screamed and ran away from the school, hurrying back over the field, and Becky's instinct was to look around for her baby, her daughter and her husband.

She couldn't see anyone she wanted to see, but then there was a hand tightly grasping her arm, and pulling her away from the school. She looked up to see Jack had grabbed hold of her arm and was pulling her away from the school.

She managed to make her legs move, and she started to run away from the school too, grateful of Jack's grasp on her, guiding her.

When they stopped still, a good distance away from the school, Jack grasped her shoulders and looked into her eyes. The expression on his face was one of panic and he looked her up and down, before nodding - she was ok.

Becky realised exactly what was worrying him, and she reached up to lay her hand on his cheek, " Jack, I'm fine. This isn't like Izzie. Everything's ok. "

Jack looked into her eyes for a few more moments, and then nodded. Once he let go of her, Becky looked around for James, and as soon as she spotted the people from the creche, she hurried over to him, passing Maxine on her way.

She was aware of Jack following her, and they stopped to check that Maxine was alright, before Jack hurried over to take James from Lisa.

Becky stood close to Maxine, and stood in front of Jack. Jack was holding James tightly, and rested one hand on Becky's waist. His hold was tight, and she could feel his figers digging into her, but she knew he was even more worried than she was, so she did nothing. Tom came to stand with them, dragging Chlo with them, who pulled Donte along too.

They watched as Rachel ran back into the school, and the police stopped Eddie from running after her. They waited, all feeling tense and worried, and they watched as armed police began to surround the school.

" Have you heard? " Matt asked, sidling over to them.

" Heard there's a gun? " Jack asked, " I think we're a bit beyond that now. "

Matt shook his heard, " Have you heard that we've only got one kid missing? Only one kid didn't get registered just now. "

" Who? "

" Denzil Kelly," Matt replied, " the youngest of the new family. "

They all took in the information in shock - the boy was 11 or 12, wasn't he? It seemed completely unreal and Becky couldn't believe that on the first day of term, this was happening.

Jack's fingers were digging into the curve of her waist sharply as they waited to see what was happening, and they watched the armed police surround the entrance. Eventually, the doors opened, and Rachel came out of the school, followed by a crying, shaking Denzil Kelly.

Becky covered her mouth with her hand, unable to believe how a child could have ended up in this situation. She watched as he put the gun down and lowered himself to the ground.

As the police arrested the boy, everyone was just filled with shock.

Jack's fingers digging into her waist were almost painful now, and Becky turned around to face him. His face was full of tension and worry, and Becky just wanted to make it all go away.

" Jack, honey," she sighed, " it's ok. We're ok. "

Jack shook his head, " That poor kid isn't ok. What's a kid like that doing with a gun, anyway? "

Eventually, the kids were dismissed for the day, and the staff were left looking at each other. Jack leaned down and laid his hand on his wife's cheek, pressing his lips to her forehead.

Becky nodded, " Honey, I'm ok. " Looking down at her baby, she smiled, " and it looks like James is too, because he's going to sleep there. Here, let me hold him. "

Jack pouted and reluctantly handed over their son to his mother. Becky was glad to have him in her arms and she stroked his little cheek, " Oh baby, it's been one hell of a day hasn't it? But it's ok, because you and Mummy are staying at home tomorrow. "

" Damn straight," Jack mumbled, " where it's safe. "

Becky arrowed her eyes a little, " Language. "

" That's not even swearing," Jack protested, pouting again.

Becky rolled her eyes, and as she cuddled James to her, Grantly moved over to them. " So," he said, " I've suggested we all go for a very well deserved drink, and everyone else is in. Are you? "

" Absolutely," nodded Jack.

Becky had to admit she wanted to be able to relax with her collegues too, but she had a family to think about, " I'll see if Maxine will look after James for a while," she said, " but otherwise, you could just go, honey. "

They did end up going to the pub, and once they were there, joined Tom, Davina, Rob, Jasmine, Matt, Grantly and Steph. They all sat around a big table, and talked about the shock of the day and how they were going to move forwards.

Rachel and Eddie came to join them just as Tom, Matt and Jack were getting back to the table with another drink for everyone. Jack sat down beside his wife and handed her a glass of coke - as much as she wanted a drink, she'd decided she simply couldn't go out and have a drink every day after work.

" Oh, these are on me," Rachel said.

" Make mine a double then," Steph smirked.

" Go ahead, you deserve it," Rachel shrugged " you all deserve it. You were all brilliant today in keeping calm and keeping control of the kids. "

" Glad you think so," Tom said roughly, " we might not be so lucky next time. "

Rachel frowned, " I certainly hope there isn't a next time. "

They all looked around at each other, wondering who was going to take control of it, and matt cleared his throat, " I don't think hopingis good enough, is it? "

Jack nodded, " It's hardly the first violence problem we've had. " He took a deep breath and continued, " just over a year ago, Izzie Redpath was stabbed and killed in the school playground, and today ... when we heard that gunshot ... well, I was certainly worried about a repeat and I'm sure I wasn't the only one. "

Tom and Becky nodded vigorously, and Becky added, " We've gone from knives to guns, and we need to know that we're safe. "

Tom took over, " We've all been talking and we'd like you to put some security measures into place. "

" Or you could arm us and even up the odds," added Grantly suggested, in his typical manner.

" Seriously," Tom added, " we need this. We can't keep coming into work every day if we don't think we're safe. "

Rachel paused and then nodded, " Fine, you're right. I'll get the wheels in motion, and get something into place. "

" Is that a promise? " Jack asked, narrowing his eyes.

" Yes," Rachel said firmly.

Eddie nodded a little - well aware of the tension between Rachel and Jack, even if there was no real reason for it, " Well, anyway, that's tomorrow. Let's just have these drinks you promised us. "

" Fine, fine," nodded Rachel, pulling the money out of her purse.

Almost as soon as Rachel had paid for the drink, she got a phonecall, and made her apologies, before leaving. Eddie followed on after her, and once they'd both left the pub, Jack raised his eyebrows.

" How long before those two get together? "

There were a few chuckles from some of the other people there, who had also noticed Rachel and Eddie might have a bit of chemistry.

Jasmine scoffed, " Those two? You think so? "

Jack laughed, taking Becky's hand from where it rested on her leg, " Trust me, it all happens in the staffroom. "

Becky smirked at that, as did Tom, and they exchanged a look. Grantly nodded, " He's right and Lorna Dickey, Tom and Izzie Redpath, Tom and Davina - "

" Can we move on from me, please? " Tom asked, shaking his head.

Jack smirked, " It's not _our _fault you're some kind of staffroom casanova. "

Tom shook his head - as much as he and Jack annoyed each other with their teasing, they had become good friends with all the time Becky and Tom spent together, and Maxine and Chlo spent together. Tom never thought he would be glad to have Jack Rimmer as a brother in law, but he supposed he was.

Grantly continued, " Kim Campbell and Andrew Treneman, and of course, Jack and Rebecca. "

Jack nodded, looking at Jasmine, " Trust me, Rachel and Eddie have got something going on. "

Becky shrugged, squeezing Jack's hand, " Who cares? They've got nothing on us. "

Jack grinned and leaned in. He planted a kiss on Becky's cheek, and she smiled and relaxed a little in her seat so she could rest her head against his shoulder. Jack smiled and leaned across again, this time to capture her lips with his, making her smile into the kiss.

From opposite them, Tom frowned at them as they broke apart, " Um, hello? Big brother who doesn't need to see it, here. "

Becky shrugged, sticking her tounge out at her brother. " Um, hello? Woman who wants to snog her husband, here. "


End file.
